It’s hot… hot… hot when summer is in full swing. Coreen from The Adventures of Captain Fussypants & Little Miss shared with us her thoughts about being a working mom and blogger. She also tells her story about the importance of pool safety.
Tell us about Fussypants and Little Miss and why you started blogging.
I started blogging when Fussypants was a baby. He’s our firstborn and has so much personality that I just had to share his antics. My about me page on my blog tells the story.
Fussypants is 5 and will be starting Kindergarten this Fall. He is creative, funny, cautious and imaginative. Little Miss is 2 and she is funny, adventurous, willful, and has no fear. They make my life just right.
What are some tips you’d like to share with others for balancing the working mom load?
Every family is different and every day is different. My only advice for working moms is don’t straddle the line. If you choose to work, or have to work, then accept it, own it, and work it! If you don’t, then you’ll never really be happy.
Some days will be easier than others and some days might be so hard all you can do is cry, but…
- Ask for help.
- Take a break.
- Know that you are not alone.
Parenting is difficult, parenting and working even more so but so many of us do it.
Can you share some summer time activities that you like to do with your family?
We love to go for family bike rides in the summer, swim in the pool, and play at the beach. We have a park near our house that has a water play area from Memorial Day through Labor Day and it’s young-kid friendly, so both my 5 year old and 2 year old can play together, which they love.
This summer we are also planning a Sea World and LegoLand trip. And coloring the sidewalks with chalk is always a fun way to spend the time.
How do you fit in time for you?
I dislike admitting this, but I am not as good at planning me time as I should be. My husband’s work schedule (he’s a firefighter) takes him away for 24-72 hours at a time and I work full-time, so when we have the chance to all be together, I don’t like to leave. I enjoy and value my family time. But it is important to take a break, from work and parenting, so I make time to work out (usually at 5am before work or immediately after work, I’ll go for a run) and have lunch with girlfriends.
I also love to read, so I carry a book with me at all times in case I find a few minutes of downtime. I also make sure that my husband and I have plenty of date nights. On the nights we don’t have an overnight babysitter, my husband and I have a date night rule, “don’t come home until the kids are in bed”!
And since summer is here, Coreen reminds us about POOL SAFETY with her own story about how her 2 year old almost drown.
We also had a scare a few weeks ago, when our 2 year old daughter fell into the pool, while we were inside. It’s a good reminder that summertime means we must be more diligent with water safety.
About Coreen
Coreen is an over 40 and fabulous working mommy and married to a hunky firefighter. She enjoys her son’s antics while adjusting to life with his baby sister. Her family also has a dog named Crusher, a 1 year old Golden Retriever.
Stephanie Lema 